Friday, September 30, 2016

Van Gogh paintings appropriated the Neapolitan mafia – merchant

14 years Later after a high-profile theft of the van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Italian police recovered two paintings by the Dutch post impressionist. They were discovered during a special operation on fight against organized crime of the Camorra, the Neapolitan mafia syndicate, without frames and with minor injuries.

7 Dec 2002 in van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, a kidnapping of two paintings: “View of the sea at Scheveningen 1882 depicting a beach resort near the Hague, and “out of the Protestant Church in Nuenen”, written in 1884-85 years for the mother of the artist. In this Church, in Brabant, his father Theodore served as a preacher. After his father’s death in 1885, van Gogh added a picture of the figures of women, dressed in black mourning headscarves.

Picture of Vincent van Gogh’s “out of the Protestant Church in Nuenen”

Photo: Van Gogh Museum / AP

the Theft of the paintings went down in history as one of the most notorious in recent times. Only van Gogh’s paintings was estimated at £77 million Just then the robbers took away more than 20 paintings worth more than $ 200 million. Penetrated into the room from the roof, they spent hours looking around in the exhibition and selected the picture. The scene of the crime, the thieves fled in the security car Museum. The intruders managed to catch in 2004, but the paintings themselves seemed to have disappeared. The robbers turned out to be Octave Durham, a thief specializing in stealing art and nicknamed Monkey for dexterous abilities, and his partner Hank, who eventually was convicted of theft after the police found their DNA at the crime scene.

Picture of Vincent van Gogh “the sea at Scheveningen”

Photo: Van Gogh Museum / AP

14 years Later after the incident the Italian police through long-term investigation was able to find themselves paintings, historical value are great. They were discovered during the RAID on the fight against organized crime, the Camorra, the Neapolitan mafia syndicate, without frames and with minor injuries. According to The Guardian, the paintings were in one of the houses to international drug dealer, based in the town of Castellammare di Stabia near Naples.

“When we finally found them, we couldn’t believe our eyes,” said the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, one of the local officials. The Museum has confirmed that the found paintings are originals. However, the Museum’s Director Axel Rutger not sure that pictures will soon be back in the Netherlands, as they are likely to be required as evidence in the trial. “We must show a little patience, but I am convinced that we can count on the support of the Italian authorities”, he added.

Elena Krawczun

the Most expensive lost cultural values

From the beginning of XX century the mankind has lost works of art worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Disappear paintings, icons, musical instruments and even a two-ton sculpture. The losses, estimated at an impressive amount— under the heading “World record”. Read more